Despite progress, women remain underrepresented in many STEM fields, especially CS, engineering, and physics. Many high-quality programs and schools specifically support and recruit women in STEM. Here's a comprehensive guide to the opportunities, the application strategy, and the schools where women in STEM thrive.
Top women-in-STEM summer programs
- Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program: free 7-week intensive at top tech companies. Highly selective.
- MIT Women's Technology Program (WTP): free 4-week mechanical engineering and EECS program at MIT.
- Carnegie Mellon AI/CS Pre-College Programs (women track): selective; significant scholarship support.
- Stanford SCS Computational Linguistics for Girls: similar selectivity; strong focus on emerging fields.
- EXPLO Women in Tech: paid program but financial aid available.
- iD Tech Camps Women's Track: paid programs with women-only options.
- Black Girls Code Summer Programs: free summer immersions for Black women in tech.
- Local university women-in-engineering camps: often free or low-cost; check your local universities.
Women-in-STEM scholarships
- Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Scholarships: $1K-$15K. Multiple awards per year for high school seniors entering engineering.
- Google Lime Scholarship: For students with disabilities pursuing CS/tech, supportive of women applicants.
- Generation Google Scholarship: $10K for women in tech in the US.
- AAUW Scholarships: For high school women pursuing higher education.
- Chevron Women in Petroleum Engineering Scholarships: For women entering petroleum or chemical engineering.
- Society of Women Geographers Scholarships: For women in geographic and earth sciences.
- ABC Women in STEM: For women in STEM fields.
- STEM Forward Women's Engineering Scholarship: For women in engineering.
Women's colleges with strong STEM
- Smith College: 50%+ of graduates major in STEM. Strong physics, engineering, computer science.
- Wellesley College: Strong in mathematics, computer science, neuroscience. Cross-registration with MIT.
- Bryn Mawr College: Strong in chemistry, biology, mathematics. Rigorous research opportunities.
- Mount Holyoke College: Strong in chemistry, biology, computer science. Research-focused.
- Barnard College: Affiliated with Columbia; strong in CS, neuroscience, mathematics.
Co-ed schools known for strong women-in-STEM outcomes
- Carnegie Mellon: 50%+ women in CS, strong supportive culture.
- Harvey Mudd: 50%+ women across all STEM majors, intentional gender-balanced admission.
- Olin College: 50% women, intentionally gender-balanced engineering program.
- MIT: 50%+ women, well-developed women-in-STEM support infrastructure.
- UC Berkeley EECS: Active women-in-tech recruiting; strong graduate program pipelines.
- Stanford CS: Strong women's caucus; active mentorship through the Society of Women in CS.
- Caltech: 50%+ women across STEM, supportive community despite small size.
Mentorship and community organizations
- Society of Women Engineers (SWE): high school student membership, networking, and scholarship.
- AnitaB.org Grace Hopper Celebration: largest gathering of women in computing.
- Society of Women in Mathematics (AWM): membership and conferences.
- Engineer Girl: career exploration and mentorship for high school girls.
- Million Women Mentors: matches women in STEM with mentors and mentees.
- Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS): high school engagement and scholarship.
- Local university women-in-STEM groups: many universities have outreach to high school students.
Application strategy for women in STEM
- Don't downplay being a woman. The 'women in STEM' identity is part of the broader narrative; admissions reads it positively in many contexts.
- Find a specific spike within STEM. 'I love STEM' is generic. 'I'm specifically focused on computational biology / robotics / theoretical physics' beats general STEM interest.
- Apply to women-in-STEM-supportive schools. The communities matter; you'll thrive in environments designed for women.
- Apply to women-in-STEM scholarships and programs. They're not a substitute for strong general applications, but they add real opportunity.
- Build relationships with female faculty mentors. They can provide research opportunities, recommendations, and long-term mentorship.
- Connect with women-in-STEM peers in your area or at your school. Community helps.
What admissions readers look for in women-in-STEM applicants
- Same things they look for in any STEM applicant: substantive depth, tangible production, research engagement, leadership.
- Plus: evidence of resilience and persistence in male-dominated environments. Stories of being the only woman in CS class, navigating bias, supporting other women.
- Plus: contribution to the women-in-STEM community. Mentorship, founding/leading women-in-STEM clubs, advocacy.
- Plus: clear-eyed engagement with the underrepresentation issue. Not naive about it; not bitter about it.